Southern California -- this just in

Sharon Stone forbade nanny to read Bible at home, suit says

The former live-in housekeeper and nanny for Sharon Stone claimed in a lawuit filed Wednesday that the actress made repeated derogatory comments about her Filipino heritage and religious beliefs.

The nine-page civil complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Erlinda T. Elemen alleges the "Basic Instinct" and "Casino" star made comments which equated being Filipino with being stupid. The suit also alleges that Stone told her not to speak in front of her children so they would "not talk like you."

The suit, which asks for an unspecified amount for unpaid wages, damages and penalties, alleges the award-winning actress repeatedly criticized Elemen’s "deeply held religious beliefs" and her frequent church attendance. She also once forbid the live-in nanny to read the Bible in Stone’s house.

Elemen's attorney, Solomon Gresen, said that after five years of employment with Stone the nanny had "wonderful memories of the children." But he said she was unable to cope with what he described as "increasingly hostile and abusive behavior."

"By her conduct, the actress made Elemen feel as if her ethnicity was offensive and would somehow adversely effect her children's upbringing," Gresen said. "My client felt she was powerless to stop the behavior."

The final act in the drama came when the actress allegedly fired Elemen upon discovering that she was being paid overtime in accordance with state law, Gresen said.

Eleman was hired by Stone in October 2006, working as an assistant nanny caring for one of three children of the 54-year-old actress, the suit alleges. Two years later, Elemen was promoted to head nanny and began caring for all three children, which included extensive travel and living at Stone's home.

She was fired in February 2011 when Stone learned that she was paid overtime, the suit alleges. State law requires that nonsalaried employees be paid extra for any work over eight hours per day or 40 hours per week.

The suit alleges that when Stone found out that her staff had paid the nanny overtime, the actress accused Elemen of "stealing" and that it was "illegal" for her to have taken the pay, and asked for the money back.

[For the Record, May 23, 2012, 4:50 p.m.: An earlier headline on this post incorrectly said "forbid" instead of "forbade."]